"scenes showing Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner) and boyfriend, Sean Slater (Rob Kazinsky), burying Tanya's husband Max (Jake Wood) alive, attracted many complaints. The UK communications regulator Ofcom later found that the episodes depicting the storyline were in breach of the 2005 Broadcasting Code. They contravened the rules regarding protection of children by appropriate scheduling, appropriate depiction of violence before the 9 p.m. watershed and appropriate depiction of potentially offensive content. In September 2008, ""EastEnders"" began a grooming and paedophilia storyline involving characters Tony King (Chris Coghill), Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty), Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), Lauren Branning (Madeline Duggan) and Peter"
"so Max decides to move back in with her after Kirsty confesses that she has lied about being pregnant. Abi is defensive of her father and she argues with Kirsty about it, blaming her for her family's breakdown. While on holiday with Jay and their friends, Abi thinks she could be pregnant. Jay hopes to be a father, while Abi would prefer to have an abortion. She is not pregnant, but ends their relationship, believing that they want different things. However, they soon reconcile. Max is framed for causing a car crash that leaves Phil hospitalised. Abi and Lauren, who"
"returns home to support his family. In an argument between Jay and Dexter, Abi discovers that on their holiday Jay kissed a barmaid while they were arguing over the suspected pregnancy. She also finds out that Lola knew and furiously confronts her best friend. However, after a heart-to-heart with Jay, they decide to work through their issues and she fixes things with Dexter and Lola as well. She also takes in a stray dog, Tramp. When Lauren's friend Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) is murdered (see Who Killed Lucy Beale?), Max supports her father Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) through his grief."
"Abi later discovers that Max used Ben to sign over part of Phil's businesses to him. In February 2015, Abi is accused by Max of killing Lucy. Abi did not kill Lucy, but it is revealed that on the night Lucy died, Abi had a confrontation with Lucy about her affair with Max, which resulted in Abi slapping Lucy. After Max tells her that Tanya would like her to move to Devon with her, Abi refuses and instead moves in with Ben and his family. and Abi believes she finally has a stable home life. After she moves in, Ben"
"her pregnancy with his baby. In December 2017, Abi and Lauren learn about their father's scheme before discovering his knowledge over the former's pregnancy with Steven's baby. They eventually find out on Christmas that year the truth about Steven's death when their mother Tanya reveals that Max killed him - causing them to disown their father, who subsequently gets into a fight with Ian when he and his mother Kathy learn the truth as well; the latter then explains this to Phil, who then confronts and attacks Max. Shortly afterwards, Abi and Lauren fall from the Queen Vic roof; both"
"had a circumcision but she will not listen to him because he did not tell her about Max and Vanessa. However, she finally reads a letter he wrote and they reunite. They go on to have sex for the first time. Harry later returns to Walford with Vanessa to get to know Darren better. Darren worries when Max jokes that Abi must fancy him, not realising it is true. Max and his other daughter Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) later tell Darren it was a joke and she would never fancy him. Abi however remains keen to show affection to Darren. She"
"returns from rehabilitation, struggle to pay Max's legal costs, as well as their bills. Abi receives her exam results and discovers she has not gained the grades to go to university to become a vet, but Lauren, believing that Abi has passed the exams, throws a party, during which Abi blurts out that she blames Lauren for her poor results because she has an alcohol problem. Abi decides to continue studying, but when Max goes to prison for a while she has to take a job, and struggles to find time for her studies. However, Max is proven innocent, and"
"revealing that Max killed Steven and tried to kill Jane. Lauren and Abi reject Max. Max goes to the roof of the Vic where he plans to kill himself by jumping off, but Lauren and Abi climb on to the ledge to try and stop him. As Max agrees to come down, Lauren slips and she and Abi both fall off. They are taken to hospital, where Lauren has surgery on her pelvis, which is fractured, and Abi has a CT scan and is declared brain-stem dead. When Lauren starts physiotherapy, she becomes frustrated with not being told the truth"
"Max has told Marcus about her fight with Lucy on the night she died. In pure anger, Abi lies that Max revealed to her that he killed Lucy. Abi later feels guilty and confesses to lying, and is shunned by the judge. When Lauren brings her baby Louie home, Carol tells her and Abi about how Max has always been a coward, so Lauren visits Max in prison. He reveals that he was planning to write Abi a letter of apology, and swears that Marcus forced him to confess about Abi and Lucy's fight. Lauren, seeing what Carol pointed out,"
"registration number belongs to a reporter. On Halloween night, she encounters a mysterious person in a Halloween mask who follows her throughout the evening. This is later revealed to be Abi. Peter asks Lauren to marry him. Lauren accepts, but after finding out that Peter was selling drugs to Lucy, she tells him that she cannot marry him. On New Year's Day 2015, Max's girlfriend Emma Summerhayes (Anna Acton) is killed in a car accident after meeting someone who she thinks killed Lucy. Although Max tears up Emma's case notes, Lauren finds most of the pages and puts them together,"
"trust her."" Steph is ""hurt"" and sees ""no way back from here"". Max is the father of Boyd, Summer, and Charlie and the son of Bobby and Rosie. His first wife Claire died several years earlier of heart failure, later thought to be Long QT syndrome because of Summer's later development of the condition. This left him to raise Summer and Boyd on his own, until he married Steph in 2004. He used to co-own the pub ""Lou's Place"" (with Lou Carpenter), before it was burnt down. He then went on to co-own Scarlet Bar with his sister Izzy. His"
"Slater family (EastEnders) The Slater family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera ""EastEnders"", that have appeared since episode 1997, first broadcast in September 2000. The family are introduced as a central family unit consisting of father Charlie Slater (Derek Martin), grandmother Mo Harris (Laila Morse), Charlie's daughters, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), Little Mo Morgan (Kacey Ainsworth) and Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), and Lynne's partner Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves). A fifth sister, Belinda Peacock (Leanne Lakey), was introduced a year later. The family were the eighth to be introduced in the soap's history, replacing"
"to Carol's to find them. Carol realises Max is at Jane's so goes there and decides to go to Ireland with him. When Abi finds out Max is at Jane's, she calls the police. Max soon realises that Jane is covering for her adoptive son, Bobby Beale (Eliot Carrington), and that Lauren knew, so he disowns Lauren. Max is then arrested while shouting that Bobby killed Lucy, though it is dismissed as an act of desperation. He is sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation he should serve at least 21 years. The truth about Bobby emerges and he is"
"life support is withdrawn, Tanya requests Max to be there. Abi then dies, leaving her family devastated. Max is hurt when he is led to believe that Abi's funeral has taken place, but he discovers it has not and Lauren tells him that none of the family want him present. On the day of the funeral, Max respects Lauren's wishes to not attend the funeral and visits Abi's daughter during the funeral to register her birth, but at the end of Abi's funeral, Jay allows Max to say his goodbyes and Max delivers his eulogy, prompting Max and Lauren to"
"via cesarean section. Max is hopeful that Abi will recover and does not tell Lauren the truth, but she slaps Max when she finds out. Max obtains a court order to stop Abi's life support being withdrawn and plans to take her to the US for a treatment that will cost £2,000,000, but Dr Harding urges Max to do the dignified thing for Abi as she is already dead and as Abi is not a minor, he has no legal right to take her. Max barricades himself in Abi's hospital room, but is talked into letting the hospital staff in"
"who claims to now believe in God, stays with Max in his newly acquired car lot and he promises to get them a home and when they visit Abi's daughter, Abi Branning, Max vows that they will get custody of her. Rainie and Max meet with Abi's social worker and use Jack's house to convince him they are suitable to raise Abi and after the meeting, Rainie and Max row about Rainie potentially ruining Max's plan to raise Abi. When Cora offers Rainie the chance to leave Max, relocate to Exeter, run a tearoom and be part of Abi's upbringing"
"he insults her. However, when Max tries to bake a cake for Oscar, he gets Abi to help him and they make amends. However, it is revealed that Max caused Matthew Mitchell Cotton, Jack's stepson, to be taken away from Jack. Abi turns on her father once more but when he gives her a thoughtful present for Christmas, she agrees to have Christmas dinner with him. On Christmas Day, Tanya returns to take Lauren and Abi away from Walford, revealing that Max killed Steven and tried to kill Jane. Lauren and Abi reject Max. Max goes to the roof of"
"ends of the country, and in some cases beyond."" Slater family (EastEnders) The Slater family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera ""EastEnders"", that have appeared since episode 1997, first broadcast in September 2000. The family are introduced as a central family unit consisting of father Charlie Slater (Derek Martin), grandmother Mo Harris (Laila Morse), Charlie's daughters, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), Little Mo Morgan (Kacey Ainsworth) and Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), and Lynne's partner Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves). A fifth sister, Belinda Peacock (Leanne Lakey), was introduced a year later. The family were the"
"time. Eve, vowing revenge at her whole family, gives birth to Max, whom she raises to hate his father and relatives. Alexandra gives birth to Alexandra ""Lexi"" Templeton, but dies from complications, but Lexi is raised in a loving household with her father Peter and her brother Robbie. As a child, Lexi is kidnapped and raped, and while she is rescued, an explosion leaves her completely deaf. On their joint eighteen birthday, Max is jealous of Lexi's easy ability to draw Kruger-Brent's board members to her. Robbie, a successful pianist, plans to give his share of the company to Lexi,"
"no chance of regaining consciousness. Abi's baby is delivered via cesarean section. Max is hopeful that Abi will recover and does not tell Lauren the truth, but she slaps Max when she finds out. Max obtains a court order to stop Abi's life support being withdrawn and plans to take her to the US for a treatment that will cost £2,000,000, but Dr Harding urges Max to do the dignified thing for Abi as she is already dead and as Abi is not a minor, he has no legal right to take her. Max barricades himself in Abi's hospital room,"
"Abi’s nephew Louie Beale, so Abi tells Ian that he will have another grandchild as she is carrying Steven's baby, but Ian says Steven was not his son and then tells Max that Abi is pregnant. Abi goes away and on her return is confused when people are showing hatred towards Max, unaware that he was involved in a plan to redevelop Albert Square, including turning business into luxury flats and evicting people from their homes and places of work. Abi and Lauren discover that Max knows Abi is pregnant; Lauren disowns him while Abi tries to offer support, but"
"and falls, taking Abi with her. They survive the fall but are taken to hospital in a critical condition. Max tells a police officer that it is his fault, so he is arrested on suspicion of GBH. However, they receive a video filmed by Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), showing Lauren and Abi falling, so he is released. He goes to the hospital where Tanya initially accepts his comfort but pushes him away when a nurse arrives with news about one of their daughters. The nurse informs them that while Lauren is expected to recover, Abi is brainstem dead and has"
"with the contract. Lauren demands the truth from Max, who says he did what he did to get money for his family. Lauren doesn't believe him and reveals the contract and threatens to burn it if he does not tell the truth; however, Max grabs it and destroys it himself, revealing that he doesn't care about the money and that all he wanted was revenge for everyone who lied or did nothing when he was sent to prison, including his own family. Max rages at Abi, Lauren and Jack who all leave, and he then smashes Jack's family photos. He"
"played by Zöe Lucker. A spokesperson for the show said that ""[Max and Vanessa] are both volatile and explosive characters and their meeting will be like putting a lit match next to a barrel [of] gunpowder."" Wood said that Max is weak when it comes to women, although his desire is to have his wife and children back, adding that ""He always makes mistakes, he's easily led and the grass is always greener. He's his own worst enemy."" In March 2011, it was revealed that Max and Abi would suffer severe injuries after their car crashes into a lorry on"
"to recite her vows to Ian, but the pair eventually remarry. Elsewhere, Stacey informs Max of Lauren's discovery and he begins a frantic search across Walford to find her. Lauren returns home and plans to leave Walford, but Max arrives and tries to stop her. Abi interrupts their conversation, allowing Lauren the opportunity to escape. Abi accuses her sister of attention seeking, but Max informs her that Lauren has figured out who killed Lucy, and accuses Abi of being the killer. Abi admits that she fought with Lucy the night she died, but denies killing her, though admits wishing that"
"Archie Mitchell Archie Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ""EastEnders"", played by Larry Lamb. The character of Archie is the father of already established characters Ronnie (Samantha Womack) and Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), and a member of the Mitchell family, who have appeared in the soap since 1990. Roxy is the younger of the two daughters and seemingly shared a closer relationship with Archie whereas Ronnie's relationship with him is volatile and tempestuous. After originally leaving Walford following the revelation of his deceit and lies, Archie returned on 9 July 2009, and made his last appearance"
"Abi move in with her when Max is revealed to have been having sex with Lauren's best friend, Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater), before her recent murder (see Who Killed Lucy Beale?). Cora becomes suspicious that Max is withholding information from the police and calls them to clarify his statement. She later warns him not to hurt Lauren and Abi any further. Cora and Stan start dating and Stan, who has terminal prostate cancer, decides he wants to commit the time he has left with her. He surprises her with a Christmas dance, but things are ruined when Stan's ex-wife Sylvie"
"about Abi and breaks down when she sees her. Lauren slaps Max for lying to her about Abi's condition and is devastated by Abi's death. Lauren is distraught when Abi's life support is withdrawn. Before Abi's funeral, Lauren lies to Max that it has already taken place because Tanya does not want him there, however, he realises it is a lie. On the day of the funeral, Lauren tells Whitney about her planned move to Scotland with Josh and Whitney asks her to be sure that she actually loves him or if she is only with him because he is"
"the attack on Jane, Bobby confesses to killing Lucy. Keeble is reluctant to reopen the case, having put a lot of effort into convicting Max, but when Bobby reveals where the murder weapon is, he is charged with unlawful killing and remanded into custody. Despite Ian's pleas, Jane decides to end their marriage, believing that the Beale family are better off without her and fearing she may be paralysed following Bobby's attack. Max is due to have a hearing to be released from prison following Bobby's confession, so Abi and Lauren write a letter to reconcile with him and to"
"and she will be taking a break from the show; this has been agreed with the producers for several months. Sam has had an incredibly happy and fulfilling time on ""EastEnders"" over the last few years. She has huge respect for the show, writers and producers and has thoroughly enjoyed playing such a complex role that has been involved in so many tough and challenging storylines."" It was reported by the ""Daily Star Sunday"" that when Max Branning (Jake Wood) and his daughter Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) are injured in an accident, Ronnie visits Max in the hospital where she gave"
"but fail as they are caught by their parents. Abi then stands up to Stella and tells Ben to do the same, leading Stella to kill herself when Ben reveals the abuse. In December 2007, she chooses the name for her newborn baby brother, Oscar. Soon after, when Max's affair with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) is revealed, Max and Tanya separate. Abi begins to live sporadically with each parent, frequently defending Max to Tanya and Lauren, until Max and Tanya reunite in 2009, however Abi leaves with Tanya after learning of Max's financial problems. In September 2009, Abi and Jordan"
"Stacey to admit to arson as the sentence would be a lot less than that for murder. She leaves Walford while letting Stacey take care of Lily who needs her. Stacey also tells Ryan that he is Lily's father, and although he initially refuses to acknowledge her, he later bonds with her and gets used to the idea of being a father while Janine and Stacey are arrested on a night out. Upset with this, Janine attempts to sabotage his relationship with Stacey, but her actions inadvertently cause them to realise their growing attraction to each other. Max's daughter Lauren"
"gives birth to a baby boy who she names Louie, in honour of Peter's great-grandmother, Lou Beale (Anna Wing). Lauren convinces Abi to stop Max from going to prison and tells Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) that she is going to tell the truth but Max is found guilty, thanks to Phil bribing the jury foreman. Max is sentenced to 21 years imprisonment. Max discovers Lauren knew that he was innocent and disowns her. Lauren makes a statement to the Police claiming that Bobby killed Lucy but they do not believe her and she returns to New Zealand with Louie, vowing"